My Evora Review + Pictures So Far - Long Read!
Discussion
Just got a bright yellow evora 2+2 with all options....fantastic car and bright colours are definitely the way to go! Totally agree with everything in your write up....what a car...ideal if going from two to one car combining super car looks and performance with practicality and decent fuel economy. I'm not getting much less to the gallon than I did in my diesel saloon.
Update time.
I've now had the car almost 2 years, which itself is the longest I have owned a car, which says a lot. The Evora really is a great all rounder.
Its now ticked over 10,000 miles which is pretty low for two years, but I don't use a car for work, so none of those are commuting miles. I've serviced it once, (£350) and had two rear tyres (£500 although Lotus wanted £450 EACH!)
Since the last update I've had a few small niggles sorted out, and have another couple to get sorted next time I am down at the dealership - nothing major, just the reverse camera has stopped working, which I suspect happened over the winter and has filled with water. The passenger door pin is loose and has a annoying rattle when above 50mph. Just now I just lock the door and it doesn't rattle. No show stoppers, but the trip to the garage is 250mile round trip which can become a chore!
Everything else has been great, I've been out on track again and a few people commented how good it sounded - standard with a Lotus Sports Exhaust. I'm averaging around 24mpg, but have seen 28mpg when on a long run.
Performance wise, the car is plenty fast enough, I'm finding the fun is in the corners. To me the Evora is almost a perfect compromise, the only thing it doesn't do well is carry three people. I have used the rear seats a few times, but its not ideal, handy for short journeys I guess where a 2 seater would be useless. Only other slight negative is the sound it makes. A little tame at times, but perfect for long journeys. I've been tempted by louder exhausts/decats etc, but worried it would make long distance driving a pain.
As a GT car, I would have no issues driving it any distance at all, the Recaro seats are absolutely superb! Comfy, and very supportive.
As a track car, again, given how good it is on a tour drive, its astonishing how well it works on track. My driving skills run out well before the car's does!
It never fails to bring a smile, and the attention it gets is all positive, I think the colour helps slightly.
Also, thanks again to Murray Motors, they have been fantastic throughout, a complete pleasure to deal with.
However, as usual I'm still finding myself looking out for something different in the classified, and I can really find much that fits the bill. The only reason I am looking for a change is simply to try something different. It seems to boil down to the same cars, and after a tour of the usual cars/garages here are my thoughts.
Evora S IPS MY12 - New updated Evora, have not driven it yet, but given how much I like my current Evora this would be a safe choice. IPS would help make it feel a bit more different, although the overall car might be a bit too similar.
V8 Vantage - Can't get over how good these cars look, the sense of occasion, the sound.. Need I go on!
F430 - Running costs scared me. Looked at a black F1 coupe but I didn't really blow me away, maybe I was expecting too much
R8 - Need to get round to trying one ASAP.
Anyways, enough rabbling, if I can't find a car worthy of changing, I'm going to look into some slight modifications I think. Radium CAI, Exhaust, and possibly new wheels. I'm not sure. Will update again in time..
Some more pics
On the traffic cam!
Think I would also need to go for a different colour Evora.. Sienna Bronze perhaps?
I've now had the car almost 2 years, which itself is the longest I have owned a car, which says a lot. The Evora really is a great all rounder.
Its now ticked over 10,000 miles which is pretty low for two years, but I don't use a car for work, so none of those are commuting miles. I've serviced it once, (£350) and had two rear tyres (£500 although Lotus wanted £450 EACH!)
Since the last update I've had a few small niggles sorted out, and have another couple to get sorted next time I am down at the dealership - nothing major, just the reverse camera has stopped working, which I suspect happened over the winter and has filled with water. The passenger door pin is loose and has a annoying rattle when above 50mph. Just now I just lock the door and it doesn't rattle. No show stoppers, but the trip to the garage is 250mile round trip which can become a chore!
Everything else has been great, I've been out on track again and a few people commented how good it sounded - standard with a Lotus Sports Exhaust. I'm averaging around 24mpg, but have seen 28mpg when on a long run.
Performance wise, the car is plenty fast enough, I'm finding the fun is in the corners. To me the Evora is almost a perfect compromise, the only thing it doesn't do well is carry three people. I have used the rear seats a few times, but its not ideal, handy for short journeys I guess where a 2 seater would be useless. Only other slight negative is the sound it makes. A little tame at times, but perfect for long journeys. I've been tempted by louder exhausts/decats etc, but worried it would make long distance driving a pain.
As a GT car, I would have no issues driving it any distance at all, the Recaro seats are absolutely superb! Comfy, and very supportive.
As a track car, again, given how good it is on a tour drive, its astonishing how well it works on track. My driving skills run out well before the car's does!
It never fails to bring a smile, and the attention it gets is all positive, I think the colour helps slightly.
Also, thanks again to Murray Motors, they have been fantastic throughout, a complete pleasure to deal with. However, as usual I'm still finding myself looking out for something different in the classified, and I can really find much that fits the bill. The only reason I am looking for a change is simply to try something different. It seems to boil down to the same cars, and after a tour of the usual cars/garages here are my thoughts.
Evora S IPS MY12 - New updated Evora, have not driven it yet, but given how much I like my current Evora this would be a safe choice. IPS would help make it feel a bit more different, although the overall car might be a bit too similar.
V8 Vantage - Can't get over how good these cars look, the sense of occasion, the sound.. Need I go on!
F430 - Running costs scared me. Looked at a black F1 coupe but I didn't really blow me away, maybe I was expecting too much
R8 - Need to get round to trying one ASAP.
Anyways, enough rabbling, if I can't find a car worthy of changing, I'm going to look into some slight modifications I think. Radium CAI, Exhaust, and possibly new wheels. I'm not sure. Will update again in time..
Some more pics
On the traffic cam!
Think I would also need to go for a different colour Evora.. Sienna Bronze perhaps?
Justin,
Please don't change as been longing to see your Orange Evora for ages but we have just never managed to be in the same place at the same time.
The door pins are a factory recall I believe and Craig should get them sorted out in a jiffy.
Regarding the 250 round trip - my wife if not majorly busy at weekends when I am away and sure if you re-imburse the train fare she would happily take the Evora down and deliver the next week. She's a good driver and uses our Evora anyway (although her 911 seems to be the flavour of the month at the moment).
George
Ps May be getting a de-cat so will let you know when its been done and what it sounds like with the Stage 1 Lotus Exhaust. Hopefully in time for my trip down to Hethel for the Lotus Driving Academy at end of April (so will be able to gauge whether it gets tiresome on a long journey)
Please don't change as been longing to see your Orange Evora for ages but we have just never managed to be in the same place at the same time.
The door pins are a factory recall I believe and Craig should get them sorted out in a jiffy.
Regarding the 250 round trip - my wife if not majorly busy at weekends when I am away and sure if you re-imburse the train fare she would happily take the Evora down and deliver the next week. She's a good driver and uses our Evora anyway (although her 911 seems to be the flavour of the month at the moment).
George
Ps May be getting a de-cat so will let you know when its been done and what it sounds like with the Stage 1 Lotus Exhaust. Hopefully in time for my trip down to Hethel for the Lotus Driving Academy at end of April (so will be able to gauge whether it gets tiresome on a long journey)
Edited by douglasgdmw on Saturday 24th March 14:41
1981linley said:
Just got a bright yellow evora 2+2 with all options....fantastic car and bright colours are definitely the way to go! Totally agree with everything in your write up....what a car...ideal if going from two to one car combining super car looks and performance with practicality and decent fuel economy. I'm not getting much less to the gallon than I did in my diesel saloon.
Sounds lovely ,what about some pictures. Justin your car looks superb.
justin220 said:
George, thanks for all that.
Re the wife, very kind offer! Being honest its just me being lazy, I have enough time off, I also feel like a kid in a sweet shop at MMC!
Are you going to the LEGS April meet?
Know what you mean about MMC - Sandra went along to see the new Exige and would love one.Re the wife, very kind offer! Being honest its just me being lazy, I have enough time off, I also feel like a kid in a sweet shop at MMC!
Are you going to the LEGS April meet?
Don't think I will be able to make it as I scheduled to fly out of Saudi on 12th April. However things change at the last minute here so never saying never.
George
The Pits said:
Can anyone explain why the evora looks so good in bright orange?
Darker 'burnt' orange doesn't do much for me but chrome orange = Wow.
They should have launched it in that colour. Bet you they would have had more orders.
saw a chrome orange Evora S in Feb, it was an utterly stunning colour .. deep, lush and sparkling. superbDarker 'burnt' orange doesn't do much for me but chrome orange = Wow.
They should have launched it in that colour. Bet you they would have had more orders.
Time for another update.. Might be a long one..
On my hunt for a possible replacement, I had the chance to drive a few nice cars, and here are my thoughts.
First up was a Nissan GT-R, Porsche 997 GT3, and a Ferrari F430
Well I had quite an exciting morning recently, got the chance to drive the above 3 cars, followed by the Evora on a reasonably small track.. Not ideal to get a proper feel for the cars, but there was no restraints, and I certainly think I got more from this than I would have from a usual test drive..
My thoughts -
I drove the Evora along the 30 miles to get there, which is probably one of my favourite roads... Much fun! So I was quite used to the Evora for a spirited drive when I got there..
First up was the 997 GT3 - I expected to like this, and I did, it felt very solid, almost like a grown up lotus. Felt very quick, torquey which I didn't expect. (I always thought I'd want the Turbo due to the extra grunt, but the GT3 had more than enough). It didn't feel quite as 'fluid' as the Evora, but I'd put that down to me knowing the Evora better. The noise is something else aswell. Superb! Big negative for me though was the steering wheel. It's far too big. WTF were Porsche thinking.
Then into the GT-R - initial thoughts were just how bug it is! And it feels heavy. The brakes were fantastic (these had been upgraded) I've been a passenger in one before, but this one felt quicker. Properly laugh out loud fast! I apparently only used just over 50% throttle according to the computer. Unbelievable. Rear seats are almost as bad as the Evora. Pointless.
F430 - I tried to compare this to a Gallardo, rather than the Evora. I felt the 430 sounded better, lighter and better feedback through the wheel. Didn't feel quite as hammer blow quick like the G though, and felt quite wheezy after the GT-R. The gearbox was the F1 and it felt dated compared to the GT-R. Overall, a bit disappointed. Certainly no desire to own one.
Then back to the Evora for a few laps - instantly felt at home (understandably) and it felt particularly slow after the GT-R. I did however feel that it was quite well suited to the smaller track.. The steering was the best of the lot for me. I must get round to trying the S.
Final thoughts - I used the day as a quick excuse to try the three, and see how I got on with the auto boxes, biggest surprise for me was I think I prefer Manuals. More interaction, more involvement. Something I did not think I'd come away feeling. Out of the three it'd be a close call between the GT3 and GT-R but I'm not sure I liked either of them enough to trade up. Still need to try and R8.
Some pics
I then got the chance to try the MY12 IPS Evora S when I dropped mine off at the dealership for some minor work, I had been looking forward to this for a while!
This was the car in question..
Bit of background, I've done 10k in mine in 22 months, but getting itchy feet and starting to lol around for a possible replacement. I reckon mine is now worth 35-38k ish, and this new one was 67k :O
Most of this review will be based against my Evora.
Ok so...
Looks - This one was black, which is obviously a lot more subtle than Chrome Orange, but in a good way. I can see the attraction. Black suits it very well. Orange can be a bit 'stand out' at times! No major differences on the outside apart from the painted calipers, bigger diffuser, and oval exhaust. None which is describe as better, just different. Looks nice
Interior - no arguing here, the new interior is nicer. The extra, softer leather and coloured stitching make it feel like a nice place to be, feels quality. This is obviously getting compared to a 2 year old, 10k car but it's definitely better/nicer. The steering wheel is thicker, and still lovely to hold. The head unit is 10x better. Looks better, more upmarket. Heated seats are a big plus point for me aswell. Armrest was nice, if a little low but I presume this can be adjusted
Sound - upon start up, it's definitely louder. Not earache loud, but it's also got a nicer tone. Sports button then opens the exhaust flaps and it's louder yet. I like it.
Drive - Started off the first few miles in 'Drive' mode which lets the car do all the work. Let the car warm up and start to push on a bit. The MY12 is very refined. Much the same as the NA, I could quite happily eat away miles in it no problem. Pulling the paddles back changes the GB into 'Manual' which will then only change up at the limiter, or down before stalling. I also like that. Changes are not quite GT-R quick, but quick enough.
Into 'Sport' mode (which I've always got on in mine) and there is a noticeable change in character. The GB tends to hold a lower gear and it's significantly sharper in throttle and gear changes. Nice blips on the downchanges but as with all auto boxes, I'd feel a bit daft doing this through towns, villages etc.. Sounds great when pushing on though The performance is also effortless. The box definitely helps. It reminded me of the GT-R in a way, not nearly as quick, but absolutely quick enough and it picks up speed at quite an alarmly easy rate.
Gearbox - the IPS definitely makes the Evora feel quicker, and after 10 miles or so I really started to enjoy it, which I wasnt expecting. The Evora is a great compromise car IMO - sedate enough and comfy for long distance, yet feels right at home on track, or on a back road blast. The IPS takes this a step further for me, auto mode makes it a very relaxing cruiser, and the paddles add to the drama. Does it detract from involvement? I think it does, it could be a very lazy man car to drive, but I'm still trying to decide if that's a bad thing or not.
Couple of minor negatives on the GB for me would be having to press 'D' to revert to Auto from Manual. Many will prefer this, but it's not very intuitive. I also found out of slow corners the box would kick down when not really necessary. Maybe something is get used to, or maybe it was my driving!
Overall Thoughts - Fantastic car. Absolutely superb. But then so is the 2010 NA IMO. Had the demonstrator been a roadster I would have been talking numbers.
Is it worth another 30k over the standard Evora? I'm not convinced. One thing for sure, it's a better car but it's highlighted just how good the standard Evora is. Forid 30's I think it's a cracking car. A bit more power would have been nice, an extra 50bhp maybe just to make it properly quick.
I'm tempted. I'd like to try the V6 Exige and R8 before deciding, and Brandon the salesman said it would be worthwhile doing so.
---
Anyways, its given me plenty food for thought. All this driving was a couple of weeks ago now, and on reflection, I think I liked the Evora S best, very quickly followed by the GT-R. I'd still like to tick another couple of cars off the list before deciding, but the Evora is proving to be a difficult car to replace!
On my hunt for a possible replacement, I had the chance to drive a few nice cars, and here are my thoughts.
First up was a Nissan GT-R, Porsche 997 GT3, and a Ferrari F430
Well I had quite an exciting morning recently, got the chance to drive the above 3 cars, followed by the Evora on a reasonably small track.. Not ideal to get a proper feel for the cars, but there was no restraints, and I certainly think I got more from this than I would have from a usual test drive..
My thoughts -
I drove the Evora along the 30 miles to get there, which is probably one of my favourite roads... Much fun! So I was quite used to the Evora for a spirited drive when I got there..
First up was the 997 GT3 - I expected to like this, and I did, it felt very solid, almost like a grown up lotus. Felt very quick, torquey which I didn't expect. (I always thought I'd want the Turbo due to the extra grunt, but the GT3 had more than enough). It didn't feel quite as 'fluid' as the Evora, but I'd put that down to me knowing the Evora better. The noise is something else aswell. Superb! Big negative for me though was the steering wheel. It's far too big. WTF were Porsche thinking.
Then into the GT-R - initial thoughts were just how bug it is! And it feels heavy. The brakes were fantastic (these had been upgraded) I've been a passenger in one before, but this one felt quicker. Properly laugh out loud fast! I apparently only used just over 50% throttle according to the computer. Unbelievable. Rear seats are almost as bad as the Evora. Pointless.
F430 - I tried to compare this to a Gallardo, rather than the Evora. I felt the 430 sounded better, lighter and better feedback through the wheel. Didn't feel quite as hammer blow quick like the G though, and felt quite wheezy after the GT-R. The gearbox was the F1 and it felt dated compared to the GT-R. Overall, a bit disappointed. Certainly no desire to own one.
Then back to the Evora for a few laps - instantly felt at home (understandably) and it felt particularly slow after the GT-R. I did however feel that it was quite well suited to the smaller track.. The steering was the best of the lot for me. I must get round to trying the S.
Final thoughts - I used the day as a quick excuse to try the three, and see how I got on with the auto boxes, biggest surprise for me was I think I prefer Manuals. More interaction, more involvement. Something I did not think I'd come away feeling. Out of the three it'd be a close call between the GT3 and GT-R but I'm not sure I liked either of them enough to trade up. Still need to try and R8.
Some pics
I then got the chance to try the MY12 IPS Evora S when I dropped mine off at the dealership for some minor work, I had been looking forward to this for a while!
This was the car in question..
Bit of background, I've done 10k in mine in 22 months, but getting itchy feet and starting to lol around for a possible replacement. I reckon mine is now worth 35-38k ish, and this new one was 67k :O
Most of this review will be based against my Evora.
Ok so...
Looks - This one was black, which is obviously a lot more subtle than Chrome Orange, but in a good way. I can see the attraction. Black suits it very well. Orange can be a bit 'stand out' at times! No major differences on the outside apart from the painted calipers, bigger diffuser, and oval exhaust. None which is describe as better, just different. Looks nice
Interior - no arguing here, the new interior is nicer. The extra, softer leather and coloured stitching make it feel like a nice place to be, feels quality. This is obviously getting compared to a 2 year old, 10k car but it's definitely better/nicer. The steering wheel is thicker, and still lovely to hold. The head unit is 10x better. Looks better, more upmarket. Heated seats are a big plus point for me aswell. Armrest was nice, if a little low but I presume this can be adjusted
Sound - upon start up, it's definitely louder. Not earache loud, but it's also got a nicer tone. Sports button then opens the exhaust flaps and it's louder yet. I like it.
Drive - Started off the first few miles in 'Drive' mode which lets the car do all the work. Let the car warm up and start to push on a bit. The MY12 is very refined. Much the same as the NA, I could quite happily eat away miles in it no problem. Pulling the paddles back changes the GB into 'Manual' which will then only change up at the limiter, or down before stalling. I also like that. Changes are not quite GT-R quick, but quick enough.
Into 'Sport' mode (which I've always got on in mine) and there is a noticeable change in character. The GB tends to hold a lower gear and it's significantly sharper in throttle and gear changes. Nice blips on the downchanges but as with all auto boxes, I'd feel a bit daft doing this through towns, villages etc.. Sounds great when pushing on though The performance is also effortless. The box definitely helps. It reminded me of the GT-R in a way, not nearly as quick, but absolutely quick enough and it picks up speed at quite an alarmly easy rate.
Gearbox - the IPS definitely makes the Evora feel quicker, and after 10 miles or so I really started to enjoy it, which I wasnt expecting. The Evora is a great compromise car IMO - sedate enough and comfy for long distance, yet feels right at home on track, or on a back road blast. The IPS takes this a step further for me, auto mode makes it a very relaxing cruiser, and the paddles add to the drama. Does it detract from involvement? I think it does, it could be a very lazy man car to drive, but I'm still trying to decide if that's a bad thing or not.
Couple of minor negatives on the GB for me would be having to press 'D' to revert to Auto from Manual. Many will prefer this, but it's not very intuitive. I also found out of slow corners the box would kick down when not really necessary. Maybe something is get used to, or maybe it was my driving!
Overall Thoughts - Fantastic car. Absolutely superb. But then so is the 2010 NA IMO. Had the demonstrator been a roadster I would have been talking numbers.
Is it worth another 30k over the standard Evora? I'm not convinced. One thing for sure, it's a better car but it's highlighted just how good the standard Evora is. Forid 30's I think it's a cracking car. A bit more power would have been nice, an extra 50bhp maybe just to make it properly quick.
I'm tempted. I'd like to try the V6 Exige and R8 before deciding, and Brandon the salesman said it would be worthwhile doing so.
---
Anyways, its given me plenty food for thought. All this driving was a couple of weeks ago now, and on reflection, I think I liked the Evora S best, very quickly followed by the GT-R. I'd still like to tick another couple of cars off the list before deciding, but the Evora is proving to be a difficult car to replace!
) as some of my previous cars in the snow! 
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